Re: Transfering a domain

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

Rick H. Wesson allegedly said:
> 
> 
> How will transfers of a domain from one regestry to another
> take place? I expect it take the acknolagement from the regestry
> holding the domain, the regestry the domain is being transfered to,
> the end user requesting the domain transfer and the folks running
> the CORE database be involved.

I presume you mean, in IAHC's new terminology, transfer from one 
registrar to another registrar.

This is very complicated from a policy point of view, simple from a 
technical point of view.

The simplest case is where the user contacts the current registrar 
and asks to be transferred to a new registrar, and the old registrar 
and the user are on good terms.  In this case

    1) the user contacts the new registrar and makes sure it is ok to
    transfer there

    2) the user contacts the old registrar and requests the transfer

    3) the old registrar updates any central records to indicate the
    new registrar is now the owners representative.

    4) the user finishes the arrangements with the new registrar

The critical issue is how the user authenticates to the registrars. 
It might be possible to get a public key from the user, but I don't
know that it could be required.

The next simplest case is when the old registrar just fails.  In that 
case, if the old registrar gives adequate notice, each user can 
follow the above procedure to transfer to the new registrar of 
choice.  If the old registrar fails suddenly, then a central 
authority must step in.  The CA could either a) arbitrarily assign 
new registrars for each user, or, b) notify the users that their 
registrar is out of business, they need to transfer, and that the CA 
stands in for the failed registrar to effect the transfer.

The most complex case is when the user has a dispute with the
registrar.  Presumably a dispute resolution procedure is invoked, and
the old registrar complies with the result of the procedure.  Some
examples: the user hasn't paid their registration fees, and wants to
move to a new registrar to rip off, or, alternatively, the old
registrar is completely incompetent, and can't or won't effect a
transfer.  

Interestingly enough, in disputed cases a public key for the user is
fairly useless, because, without a pretty involved infrastructure the
registrar would always be able to change the public key stored with
the data -- "Ha -- you think you own this domain name -- not at all --
it's my good buddy Jim here who owns it -- see, it's got his public
key..."

In the bitter end, the dispute resolution procedure could result in 
the CA taking some action to effect the transfer.

> Whom would an end user ask, 

They would always ask the registrars involved first.  The CA/CORE 
would only be involved in dispute resolution cases, and I would 
imagine that the cost would be amortized across collected fees -- you 
could try to require that a user pay the costs of dispute resolution 
processes, but I think that would expose you to some very ugly legal 
possibilities. 

-- 
Kent Crispin				"No reason to get excited",
kent@songbird.com,kc@llnl.gov		the thief he kindly spoke...
PGP fingerprint:   5A 16 DA 04 31 33 40 1E  87 DA 29 02 97 A3 46 2F